“And they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart. Get up; He is calling you.’ And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ And the blind man said to him, ‘Rabbi, let me recover my sight.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed Him on the way.” Mark 10:46-52
As I have been outlining and preparing messages for the Sunday’s ahead I am reminded of all the great “short stories” in the Gospel according to Mark. I remember reading this story from a children’s book to our children when they were younger and being amazed at the love of Christ for His own. This love for His own works itself out in meeting the needs of His people when we come to Him with our needs. So this is another Monday and we begin our workweek with needs just as obvious as Bartimaeus’ blindness.
Why did Jesus ask Bartimaeus “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus knew he was blind, nevertheless, He still asked about his desire so that those around him would know what he desired and what He believed. It’s the same with us. Bartimaeus asks for his sight to return and it seems that this request alone was evidence that he believed Jesus could and would provide such an outlandish request. The Prophets had said One would come who could do such things, the people were saying that Jesus was the One that the Prophets had spoken of. The word of this One Jesus came to him and he believed and he, “…followed Him on the way” with his sight restored. This is the very same word “Followed” used of His disciples when He commanded them to follow him.
He knows us better than anyone does—He knows our needs before we ask. And He also knows that sometimes we want the wrong things. Sometimes we’re more zealous to get even, than to give grace. Sometimes we want mere relief, 100 times more than a changed heart. Remember the paralytic from this past week…his friend brought him to be healed and Jesus first said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Sometimes, if He simply gave us what we want, our overall condition would worsen.
However, like Bartimaeus, it’s a good thing for us to own the depth of our need—to acknowledge our helplessness in view of personal weaknesses, challenging circumstances, and difficult people. People who like the ones in this text sought to keep him down for whatever reason, “…he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.” The crowd was there for the spectacle but Jesus was there to preach the kingdom and heal, reversing the curse of the Fall.
This is the next to last miracle that is recorded in Mark’s gospel and it like all the rest are a visual presentation of the presence of the kingdom of God. This miracle as so many of them reveals how God establishes His kingdom. Joel 2:32 says, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Bartimaeus, like us, encountered Jesus’ power, not on the basis of his strength, but in the context of his weakness. He SAW the need to call on the name of Jesus, the crowd did not, revealing that they were the ones truly blind.
As we begin this week we need to ask the Lord to hear our prayers. He alone knows what we really need. Rather than us relying on ourselves to get through; We need to ask Him for His healing…His strength… for we are unable to glorify Him without what He has to give.
Lastly, ask Him to heal our collective blindness towards our deepest needs. Ask Him to show us more of His beauty, glory and grace. For this is the only reality that matters: The better we see Him, the better we’ll see ourselves and our needs along with every other person, situation, and challenge …as we “…followed Him on the way.”
God bless y’all today!
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
